The Northern Ireland office has issued a Public Consultation Paper to explore the options for regulating the private security industry in Northern Ireland.

Of the four Options outlined in the paper, Option 3 investigates the possibility of extending the Security Industry Authority’s (SIA) remit to include the Province.

Attending the Belfast launch of the Consultation Paper, SIA acting chairman Robin Dahlberg held talks with Paul Goggins MP – now Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Northern Ireland – and, subsequently, with representatives from the Northern Ireland Security Guarding Regional Committee of the British Security Industry Association (BSIA).

Dahlberg told SMT: “We are currently working with the Scottish Executive to roll-out licensing in Scotland during 2007. Given the opportunity, we would welcome the prospect of working with businesses in Northern Ireland to introduce SIA licensing and the Approved Contractor Scheme, thereby creating a single set of UK-wide industry standards.”

A copy of the Public Consultation Paper – entitled ‘Regulating the Private Security Industry in Northern Ireland’ – can be downloaded from the Internet at www.nio.gov.uk

Source

SMT